A traditional kayak is a canoe-like watercraft having a hull with a narrow beam and a small opening in the center top portion thereof. The kayaker inserts his or her legs into this opening and sits inside the hull with the legs extending forward into the hull substantially parallel to the water. The opening is sized and dimensioned to be not much larger than the kayaker's waste. The kayaker is said to be "wearing" the kayak, and the close contact between kayaker and kayak is desired for precise control of the craft.
The beam of a traditional kayak is very short in comparison to its length. While fast and efficient, the design of a traditional kayak is fairly unstable; the narrow beam and shallow draft tend to cause the craft to roll easily.
In the last twenty years, a new type of kayak has been developed and has gained increasing acceptance. This new type of kayak will be referred to herein as a sit-on-top kayak. As this name suggests, the user of a sit-on-top kayak sits in an open cockpit on top of the kayak hull. The sit-on-top kayak is somewhat similar to a surfboard in overall shape, but normally has a generally v-shaped hull portion and a deeper draft to allow better tracking. Modern sit-on-top kayaks are conventionally formed out of polyethylene using a rotational molding process.
The design of a sit-on-top kayak has an advantage over traditional kayak designs in that the user need not learn to roll the craft or self-rescue when the craft has rolled because the user's legs do not extend into the kayak hull. The kayaker merely falls out of the kayak cockpit area when the kayak flips over.
Further, the beam of a sit-on-top kayak is relatively wide in comparison to a traditional kayak. While they somewhat decrease the speed and efficiency of the craft, these dimensions greatly increase the stability thereof. A sit-on-top kayak is thus easier to use than the traditional kayak. In addition, a sit-on-top kayak normally comprises a hollow, airtight hull that will not sink when flipped over.
However, it has long been recognized that the sit-on-top kayak may be more difficult to control in surf or broken water than a traditional kayak. This is because sit-on-top kayakers do not have their legs within the hull to keep them closely in contact with the kayak. The operator of a sit-on-top kayak is thus not as closely integrated with the kayak as the operator of a traditional kayak.
FIG. 6 depicts one method sit-on-top kayakers have employed to obtain more control over their craft. In particular, a typical sit-on-top kayak is generally depicted at 20 in FIG. 6. The kayaker is indicated at 22. The kayaker 22 is propelling the kayak 20 with a paddle 24.
Shown at 26 and 28 respectively are knee straps that maintain the kayaker 22 on top of the kayak 20. Referring more particularly to the knee strap 26, FIG. 6 shows that this strap 24 is connected to the kayak 22 at points 30 and 32 fore and aft, respectively, of a knee 34 of the kayaker 22. The strap 26 extends around the knee 34 to allow the kayaker 22 to control the kayak 20.
The knee straps 26 and 28 shown in FIG. 6, while nominally effective at allowing the kayaker 22 to control the kayak 20 under surf or broken water conditions, are undesirable for the following reasons. First, these straps 26 and 28 can be uncomfortable during use. Further, the kayaker's legs are immobilized when the straps 26 and 28 are in use, which tends to increase fatigue in the kayaker. Also, getting into the straps 26 and 28 requires the use of the hands. As the kayaker's hands are often busy manipulating the paddle 24, getting the kayaker's knees into the straps 26 and 28 can be inconvenient.
Straps that are somewhat similar to the straps 26 and 28 described above are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,189,974 to Masters. In the Masters '974 patent, kneeling operators of a kayak catamaran are depicted with straps over the kayakers' thighs just behind the knees. Such straps would be inappropriate for use in a sitting position.
Another method of maintaining the kayaker on top of a sit-on-top kayak or similar craft is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,143 to Lucas, U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,365 to Masters, and French Pat. No. 2,673,416. In all of these patents, brace members generally extend over the top of a substantial portion of the operator's thighs to allow the kayaker to control the craft. In Lucas the brace members outwardly extend from a rigid support that extends upwardly from the hull between the operator's thighs. The brace members in Masters '365 and the French patent are mounted on the sidewalls of an open cockpit kayak and extend inwardly over the top of the kayaker's thighs.
While brace members such as are described in Lucas, Masters '365, and the French patent allow the kayaker to control the kayak in a manner similar to that of a conventional kayak, these devices have the disadvantage of the traditional kayak in that the kayaker is essentially locked onto the craft should the craft flip. This approach thus eliminates one of the major advantages of a sit-on-top kayak over the traditional kayak.
The Applicant is also aware of the following U.S. Pat. Nos. (a) 3,769,645 to Lettman; (b) 4,843,999 to Kobus et al.; (c) 4,942,840 to Masters et al.; (d) 4,744,327 to Masters; and (e) 3,627,073 to Grimm. The Lettman and Kobus et al. patents disclose seating arrangements for water craft that require the user to kneel rather than sit while operating the craft. The Masters et al. patent and the Masters '327 patent relate to foot braces and do not address the problem described above. The Grimm patent discloses a snowmobile seat having a brace similar to that disclosed in the Lucas patent described above. These patents do not relate to the present invention and are disclosed herein as background information.